Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method of monitoring quality of a telephone call transmitted over a network, the method comprising: performing a traceroute at a first frequency through the network; obtaining a metric associated with the telephone call using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, the metric being based on data packets that are transmitted during the telephone call; determining whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds a threshold; performing the traceroute at a second frequency through the network if the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds the threshold, the second frequency being a higher frequency than the first frequency; obtaining the metric using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency; determining whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency, is below the threshold; performing the traceroute at a third frequency if the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency, is determined to be below the threshold, the third frequency being a lower frequency than the second frequency; receiving information from nodes of the network; routing subsequent telephone calls based on the information; and using the information and other information relating to routing of other telephone calls through the network to locate a problem on the network; wherein the subsequent telephone calls are routed to attempt to avoid the problem.
A method for monitoring telephone call quality over a network involves actively probing the network using traceroute. Initially, traceroute is performed at a low frequency. A call quality metric, derived from data packets transmitted during the call, is measured based on this low-frequency traceroute data. If this metric exceeds a predefined threshold, the traceroute frequency is increased to more quickly identify network issues. If the metric subsequently falls below the threshold using the higher frequency traceroute, the frequency is decreased again to reduce overhead. The system gathers network node information, using this information, alongside data from past calls, to diagnose network problems and route new calls around these problem areas.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining a metric comprises obtaining plural metrics associated with the telephone call; wherein determining whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds a threshold comprises determining whether the plural metrics exceed corresponding plural thresholds.
The method for monitoring telephone call quality from the previous description enhances metric measurement by obtaining multiple call quality metrics instead of just one. These metrics are associated with the telephone call and are obtained using traceroute. When determining whether a call quality problem exists (using low-frequency traceroute data), each of the multiple metrics is compared against its own corresponding threshold value. This allows for a more nuanced detection of call quality degradation by considering various network performance indicators simultaneously.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric comprises at least one of data packet loss and jitter of the data packets.
The method for monitoring telephone call quality described previously calculates the call quality metric using packet loss and jitter. Specifically, the metric representing the telephone call quality is determined by measuring the amount of data packet loss during the call and/or the variation in delay (jitter) of the data packets as they traverse the network. These two factors are key indicators of network performance and directly impact the perceived quality of the telephone call.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising performing the following actions at least until the metric is below the threshold: obtaining the metric periodically; and each time the metric is obtained, determining whether the metric exceeds the threshold.
The method for monitoring telephone call quality from the initial description includes a continuous monitoring loop. After increasing the traceroute frequency due to a high metric, the system periodically obtains the call quality metric (using traceroute) and checks if it's still above the threshold. This loop continues until the metric falls below the threshold, indicating improved call quality. The system keeps monitoring the phone call to ensure quality has improved and will not degrade again during the call.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information comprises records associated with telephone calls routed through different paths of the network.
In the method for monitoring telephone call quality described previously, the information received from the network nodes consists of records related to telephone calls that have been routed through different paths within the network. These records contain details about the performance of each path, providing insights into potential bottlenecks or problem areas. These records are used to help route future calls around potential problems.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric relates to a degradation in call quality, the degradation represented by the metric not being detectable by a human ear.
The method for monitoring telephone call quality previously described uses a metric sensitive enough to detect subtle degradations in call quality that a human ear would not perceive. The metric is designed to identify impairments that, while not immediately obvious to the user, can still negatively affect the overall call experience and should be accounted for in routing decisions.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metric is weighted, the weight corresponding to a system that initiates the telephone call.
The method for monitoring telephone call quality described above involves weighting the call quality metric based on the system that initiated the telephone call. This weighting allows for prioritization of call quality based on the importance or type of the calling system (e.g., calls from a critical business application might receive a higher weight than personal calls).
8. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media for storing instructions that are executable to monitor quality of a telephone call transmitted over a network, the instructions for causing one or more processing devices to: perform a traceroute at a first frequency through the network; obtain a metric associated with the telephone call using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, the metric being based on data packets that are transmitted during the telephone call; determine whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds a threshold; perform the traceroute at a second frequency through the network if the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds the threshold, the second frequency being a higher frequency than the first frequency; obtain the metric using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency; determine whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency, is below the threshold; perform the traceroute at a third frequency if the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the second frequency, is determined to be below the threshold, the third frequency being a lower frequency than the second frequency; receive information from nodes of the network; route subsequent telephone calls based on the information; and use the information and other information relating to routing of other telephone calls through the network to locate a problem on the network, wherein the subsequent telephone calls are routed to attempt to avoid the problem.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium stores instructions for monitoring telephone call quality over a network. The instructions cause a processor to perform a traceroute at a low frequency. A call quality metric, derived from data packets, is measured based on this low-frequency traceroute. If this metric exceeds a threshold, the traceroute frequency is increased. If the metric falls below the threshold using the higher frequency traceroute, the frequency is decreased. The system gathers network node information, using this information, alongside data from past calls, to diagnose network problems and route new calls around these problem areas.
9. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein obtaining a metric comprises obtaining plural metrics associated with the telephone call; wherein determining whether the metric, obtained using the traceroute being performed at the first frequency, exceeds a threshold comprises determining whether the plural metrics exceed corresponding plural thresholds.
The non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality from the previous description enhances metric measurement by obtaining multiple call quality metrics instead of just one. These metrics are associated with the telephone call and are obtained using traceroute. When determining whether a call quality problem exists (using low-frequency traceroute data), each of the multiple metrics is compared against its own corresponding threshold value.
10. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the metric comprises at least one of data packet loss and jitter of the data packets.
The non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality described previously calculates the call quality metric using packet loss and jitter. Specifically, the metric representing the telephone call quality is determined by measuring the amount of data packet loss during the call and/or the variation in delay (jitter) of the data packets as they traverse the network.
11. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the one or more processing devices to perform the following actions at least until the metric is below the threshold: obtain the metric periodically; and each time the metric is obtained, determine whether the metric exceeds the threshold.
The non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality from the initial description includes a continuous monitoring loop. After increasing the traceroute frequency due to a high metric, the system periodically obtains the call quality metric (using traceroute) and checks if it's still above the threshold. This loop continues until the metric falls below the threshold, indicating improved call quality.
12. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the information comprises records associated with telephone calls routed through different paths of the network.
In the non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality described previously, the information received from the network nodes consists of records related to telephone calls that have been routed through different paths within the network. These records contain details about the performance of each path, providing insights into potential bottlenecks or problem areas.
13. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the metric relates to a degradation in call quality, the degradation represented by the metric not being detectable by a human ear.
The non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality previously described uses a metric sensitive enough to detect subtle degradations in call quality that a human ear would not perceive. The metric is designed to identify impairments that, while not immediately obvious to the user, can still negatively affect the overall call experience.
14. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 8 , wherein the metric is weighted, the weight corresponding to a system that initiates the telephone call.
The non-transitory machine-readable medium for monitoring telephone call quality described above involves weighting the call quality metric based on the system that initiated the telephone call. This weighting allows for prioritization of call quality based on the importance or type of the calling system.
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December 16, 2014
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